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Accident Database: Accident #675
| River: | Farmington |
| Section: | Tarrifville Gorge |
| Gauge: | 1690 |
| Water Level: | High |
| Difficulty: | III |
| Accident Code(s): | Long Swim (L.S.) |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal, Fatal |
| Age: | 37 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Inexperienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Private |
| Boat Type: | Kayak - Unknown |
| Number of Occupants: | 2 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Initial Report: | Inexperience also claimed a life in New England, On July 18th two Hartford, Connecticut firefighters were paddling a two-person kayak on the Tarrifville Gorge section of the Farmington River a short drive from the city. This section, which has Class III+ rapids, was running at 1690 cfs, an unusually high flow for July. Suddenly, their K-2 flipped in "heavy current". One man made it to shore, but Fernando Garcia, 37, disappeared from view. Both men had PFD’s with them, but the survivor was unsure if Garcia had been wearing his. The Hartford Courant described the massive search that followed, involving 100 people, a helicopter, dive teams, and a hovercraft. Evening arrived and the body had still not been recovered. |
| Report Status: | Completed |
